Solihull C 1 - 3 Leamington A

10 December 2014

Since our previous match, Solihull B had returned to the top of the table with two emphatic wins. We needed a win over their C team to top the charts at Christmas.

  • Brodie, Iain (147) 0 - 1 Aldridge, Dan (181)
  • Summerfield, Julian H (142) 0.5 - 0.5 Price, Andrew (155)
  • Stokes, Geoffrey N (142) 0 - 1 Darling, Tom (151)
  • Nevin, Mike (134) 0.5 - 0.5 Collins, Andy (145)

    • My game, at 12 moves, is to date the shortest I've played at standard time controls. In defense of my opponent, we played couple of very even friendly games afterwards, so this can be taken as a one off. The game is given below, as it is in a interesting line of the King's Gambit.

    Andy Price was next to finish. The queens and rooks soon came off the board to leave an unusual end game with eight minor pieces having the run of the board. Andy was able to push forwards and gain space, but with symmetrical pawn structures a draw was always likely.

    Dan opponent started the game almost as badly as mine did, allowing a knight fork to win the exchange before move 20. Thereafter, however, he defended resolutely, and it took patient probing for Dan to break through with his rook in the endgame. Black list on time with the game (and match) already in the bag.

    Andy Collins was faced with the unusual Bird's Opening, which lead to an awkward middlegame with locked pawn structures. A sudden shift of focus over to the queenside gave white what looked a decisive passed pawn, but Andy went into a queen endgame and used the threat of perpetual checks to stop the pawn. With a position that was still winning, but no time to make it tell, his opponent took the draw.

    Our biggest away win of the season has us finishing the season on a high, and hoping for more of the same after the Christmas break.